episode_0149

“I’m back, Mother. Nothing happened while I was gone, right?”

“Yes, come in, my… I mean, daughter. Pfft, what could possibly happen in this rural corner? It’s just the same as usual.”

“I’m glad nothing happened. By the way, there’s a delicious smell in the air. Did you make beef short ribs?”

“Hehe, I heard you were coming, so I decided to show off my skills after a long time! Are you hungry? Sit down first. Let’s talk while we eat.”

“Yes, I’ll just go put my clothes away and come back. Oh, by the way, where are Father and Brother?”

“Um… They said they were coming back after organizing the warehouse, so they should be here in less than 5 minutes. Take your time organizing and come to the kitchen.”

Returning to the family home with a heart full of worries.

When I first visited after the incident of the species mutation, the relationship with my family had become so awkward that I thought the uncomfortable air would still linger.

Was time really the best medicine? After turning into a vampire, the third time I visited the family home was peaceful and warm.

“…There’s no place like home. Just lying on the bed makes me happy.”

After casually throwing my travel bag anywhere, I lay down on the bed for a moment.

As I lay sprawled out on the bed, staring at the ceiling, I felt an inexplicable chill and loneliness.

Whenever I lay on the bed, the absence of the warmth that always enveloped me felt too overwhelming.

Unable to bear the emptiness, I sent a message to Jaehyuk.

[What are you doing?]

[I already miss you hehe]_8:12 PM

What would he be doing right now?

Arguing with his older sister like always after arriving at the family home?

Imagining the harmonious sibling relationship, I chuckled, only to soon feel my phone vibrating with a message.

Perhaps he was idly playing with his phone, Jaehyuk replied in less than a minute.

“Mom said she’s making dinner,”

“I’m lying on the bed, daydreaming while waiting.”

“What about you?”_8:13 PM

“I’m doing the same as you…”

“But lying down makes my side feel numb…”

“Don’t you feel the same?”_8:14 PM

“Now that what I used to hold onto is gone,”

“It feels a bit empty.”

“I want to hear your voice,”

“Would you like to call?”_8:14 PM

“Sorry,”

“I have to go eat soon, so I don’t think I can right now.”_8:14 PM

“I’ll contact you in a bit!”

“Don’t fall asleep and wait for me!”_8:15 PM

Thump, thump –

The sound of weak footsteps outside the window.

It seemed like it was my father and brother returning after a long day of work, so I quickly finished sending the message and left the room, heading straight to the kitchen.

Helping my mother set the table with utensils, my father and brother entered through the front door as I had anticipated.

Spotting me, the two of them briefly exchanged awkward glances before greeting me.

After washing their hands and sitting down at the table, they quietly began their meal, just like always.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Unlike the warm and inviting table, the kitchen was now filled with a cold silence.

Unlike my mother, who seemed to have adjusted, the rest of them still seemed to find me awkward, silently watching my every move.

Suddenly, my father let out a deep sigh, placing a piece of meat on my plate and speaking up.

“Don’t be so self-conscious. Eat. Why are you just eating rice when your favorite side dish is right in front of you?”

“Um… Yes, I’ll eat it, Father. Thank you for caring.”

Nodding in gratitude, I started tearing into the beef short ribs my father had served me.

The seat felt uncomfortable, or was it just me? The special homemade short rib stew by my mother didn’t taste as delicious as usual.

…Should I have visited more often, even if it was a bit of a stretch? It’s really awkward when family meals are this uncomfortable…

How can I ease this awkward and awkward atmosphere?

As I pondered while eating and hesitating, my mother suddenly slapped my father’s back.

What’s going on right now? As I was dumbfounded by the sudden situation, my mother’s scolding towards my father began.

“No, when it’s just the two of us, you talk so nicely, why can’t you say the same in front of the person involved? Come on, huh? Can’t you speak affectionately to your child?”

“…I thought I was speaking affectionately.”

“If you say that in this kind of atmosphere, do you think Jiwu will understand properly? It looks like you’re nagging about not eating properly!”

No, Mother. I understood properly.

Father has always been gruff, there’s no way I wouldn’t understand!

It seems like Mother is overreacting to this, right?

I wanted to say that it’s not like that at all, that I understood perfectly, but before I could intervene in the situation as a Sudra, the situation had already ended, and my father, who had become a mop, was asking me for forgiveness.

“…I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would sound like that.”

“Oh, no, Father. It’s just that…”

“You’re not used to it yet. I would appreciate it if you forgive me.”

“…”

I’m more sorry, Father.

Before Mother scolds me, I should have tried to lighten the mood first…

What should I say to get out of this awkward situation?

As I racked my brain for words, Mother approached me with a softer tone.

“So… how have you been lately? It seems like you’ve improved a lot since the last time you visited?”

Is she talking about when I was chased by a hedgehog and cried my eyes out?

Certainly, things have improved a lot since then. I can now regularly receive blood transfusions and have developed a garlic immunity.

I nodded positively and began to explain everything that had happened during that time.

…Of course, I left out the part about dating Jaehyuk.

“I was worried, but hearing that you’re doing well on your own puts my mind at ease. But even if you’re busy, you shouldn’t stay away from home too much, it makes me a little sad, you know?”

“Haha… I’m sorry, Mother. I want to come down, but I just don’t have the time. And, you know? My lifestyle is quite different from that of an ordinary person…”

“I know, but it can’t be helped. So don’t just come down during holidays, come down whenever you have time like last time. Let’s see each other more often, okay?”

“I’ll try my best.”

I don’t know if it will work out.

As I swallowed the rest of my words and chewed on the meat, a sudden question came to mind.

Why is there no mention of my leave of absence?

Curious as to why there was no mention of it, I cautiously asked my mother.

“That… Mother?”

“Don’t call me Mother, just call me Mom. Why be so formal? Haven’t I been telling you this for ages?”

“But calling you Mother is more comfortable, isn’t it?”

“…My daughter, she’s as stubborn as a wild boar. So, why did you call me?”

“Oh, well… I was just curious about your decision to take a leave of absence. It was strange that you didn’t ask me about it…”

It was definitely unusual for my mother, who always showed a lot of interest in her children, not to mention the big decision of taking a leave of absence.

Unable to contain her boiling curiosity, she asked me, and unexpectedly, she gave me a surprising answer.

“You must have had your reasons. It’s not like you took a leave of absence without a valid reason, right?”

“W-well, that’s true…”

“Well then, it’s settled, why should I worry about it? You’ve been to the military, you’re almost twenty-five, it’s time for you to take care of yourself.”

…It seems like she thought that since I went to the military, there was almost no interference compared to before. With this thought in mind, she seemed to have less curiosity.

As I tried to focus on eating again after my curiosity was satisfied, my mother, with a mischievous grin, continued speaking.

“I’m more curious about how things are going with Jaehyuk than the fact that you took a leave of absence. So, how far have you progressed? Holding hands? Or maybe kissing?”

“Ugh! M-mom!!!”

A sudden intrusion at an unexpected moment.

As I answered in a flustered manner due to the piercing question, my mother’s grin intensified.

Wait, what progress?

Shouldn’t she be asking if we’re getting along well here?!

Is that so?

No, regardless of what it is, I’m sure that question is not normal!

As I grumbled to myself, my mother tilted her head with a smirk.

Before I could calm down, another devastating sentence flowed out of my mother’s mouth.

“Hmm, isn’t it strange? When I visited last time, you two seemed very close, did I perhaps see it wrong?”

“G-giggle! C-c-close? W-what are you talking about…”

“When I visited, Jaehyuk was on top of you, wasn’t he? It looked like a scene right before a surprise attack, didn’t it?”

“N-no, it’s not like that! That time, Jaehyuk was just playing a prank and…”

Clang –

I tried to explain in a hurry, but at that moment, I heard the sound of a spoon being placed down.

Slowly turning my head towards the direction of the clear sound, there, there was…

“Explain.”

…I saw a very terrifying expression on my father’s face, which I had never seen before.

Oh, so my father can show such an emotional side too?

Damn.

Yeah.

“W-well, you see…”

Turning a crisis into an opportunity.

Perhaps this crisis could turn into an opportunity.

After swallowing a gulp of saliva, I started to calmly explain everything that had happened up until now.

…To save the future husband.